•232 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. IX. 



middle one, and on only one cluster of gr^en berries that certain 

 sleeping performances of Sphex pictipennis were staged. 



At twilight, July 14, 1913, three insects were resting on this 

 umbel of berries. They were just beneath the spray; their 

 position was horizontal, their mandibles locked around the 

 petiole of the berry, and most of their legs were hanging free in 

 the air. In this they practically agree with the observations by 

 Mr. Banks. . He notes them in a horizontal position on the tall 

 grass, holding on by the mandibles, but with the legs touch- 

 ing the stems. 



At first, the insects were disturbed by my presence, but later 

 in the evening they showed no signs of consciousness of me 

 when I pressed close enough to ascertain that the mandibles 

 merely formed a circle around the stem, and did not bite or 

 pierce it or draw out its juices. All three were females. They 

 had to be taken up with the forceps in order to ascertain the 

 sex; one was kept for the cabinet and the other two were replaced 

 but they were too sleepy to hold on and both fell to the ground, 

 and could only summon enough energy to creep half way up 

 again. At 7 o'clock the next morning they were in the same 

 places, but highly alert; when I approached within five feet of 

 them they were up and away, while only a little while before they 

 had been too sleepy for self -protection. After the rough hand- 

 Hng they had undergone in the examination I hardly expected 

 them to return, but to my surprise at 6 that evening I found on 

 the identical cluster not alone these two but three additional 

 ones also. From 6 until 7:30 they were nervously walking 

 about on the cluster and twig. The antennae were actively in 

 motion. Several times they flew to a near-by bush, but always 

 returned soon to their original cluster. At one time they were 

 followed by two Pelopoeus caementarium, but these soon left. 

 At 7 :30, however, they all seemed to be quietly at rest in their 

 characteristic positions on this chosen spot. 



Had these two wasps then really communicated with the 

 other three and induced them to sleep on the same bush? Or 

 had these three followed the original two? Or had these five 

 arrived at the same spot by mere coincidence? Let me say that 

 I could perceive no sociability among these five wasps; while it 

 was still light each nervously examined the vicinity independ- 

 ently, and finally sought a resting place on this one cluster, from 

 one to three inches apart. Therein they differed from Chalybion. 



